


Unfold Your Wings as You Fall

by Aer



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Pre-Kerberos Mission, SHEITH - Freeform, courting, the angst isn't very much though, this is so self indulgent i don't even
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 13:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10537344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aer/pseuds/Aer
Summary: There's nothing Shiro wants so much as he does for Keith to fly with him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So uh, this was that super self indulgent AU I was ranting about on tumblr. Basically, what if humans had wings? That's it, really.
> 
> The title comes from a Ray Bradbury quote. The full text is "Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall."

"He's _so_ stuck up." Someone grumbled. 

"I know! He's refused every group's offer to groom. No one's ever even seen his wings." A different vice tittered in response. 

"Do you think he's-"

"Don't even think that! There's no way. Not with how good a pilot he is." 

The other murmured. "How awful would that be though..."

"Don't mention that to to him- not unless you wanna get your face pounded in." 

"Yeah no kidding. Oh holy shit, what did he just _do_?"

"I thought that was impossible." An awed whisper. 

A snort. "What else did you expect? It's _him_."

Shiro raised an eyebrow as he overheard the whispered conversation drifting from the group of cadets huddled around one of the simulator pods. The crowd was surprisingly large, given that the only thing happening right now was a routine assessment of the first year cadets. Then he looked at the screen displaying what was happening in the pod, and had to forcibly keep his mouth from dropping open. The scores the current pilot- a K. Kogane- was racking up were better than most third years. In fact- Shiro's eyes flickered to the rankings- he'd beat the previous high score for the simulation. _Shiro's_ high score. He'd heard some of the instructors talking about a new cadet that could fly damn near anything, but he hadn't thought much of it. Clearly, that had been a mistake. 

He kept watching Kogane fly, until suddenly the simulator screen went black, **Simulation End: Mission Success** stamped across it in bold blue letters. Abruptly pulled out of his reverie, Shiro decided one thing. He had to meet the cadet that could pilot like that. His mouth was almost dry with the excitement of meeting someone who could match him, even beat his scores- maybe even be his copilot one day. Then the simulator pod swung open and the cadet stepped out, and Shiro's mouth went dry for an entirely different reason. The other cadet was shorter than him, but lean and wiry with muscle he clearly knew how to use, and had a face that even set in a neutral, nearly scowling expression, was fully capable of breaking hearts. He was gorgeous, and Shiro was suddenly very, very glad he had an excuse to go talk to him. 

Shiro worked his way easily through the crowd, the clustered cadets parting before him until he was standing in front of Kogane. He stuck out a hand. "Hi. Cadet Kogane, right? My name is Takashi Shirogane." 

"I know who you are." Kogane responded flatly, almost cutting Shiro off. He didn't take the offered hand. 

"It's nice to meet you." Shiro didn't let his smile falter even as his hand fell to his side. "What's your first name?" 

Kogane clearly considered not answering for a moment, pursing his lips slightly, before reluctantly saying, "Keith." He eyed the eavesdropping crowd with discomfort, almost glaring. The other cadets dispersed, several blushing at being caught listening in on their conversation. 

Shiro beamed. "Want to grab some lunch and talk about the simulator mission? Your flying was incredible." Keith's body language stayed closed off, his arms crossed and shoulders slightly hunched. He turned slightly, eyes flickering as he looked for an exit. 

"Look, Shirogane-"

"Call me Shiro, please. No need to stand on ceremony." Shiro interrupted, grin softening to a friendly smile. 

"Shiro." Keith conceded, with a faint twist to his mouth. "I don't really... do, the whole cafeteria thing." 

"That's alright! We can eat on the roof!" Shiro responded brightly. Keith blinked and eyed him suspiciously, shoulders tense. He reminded the older cadet of a feral cat, all bristled fur and wary eyes. Shiro sighed. This was getting him nowhere, and he didn't want to drive Keith off. "Look, Keith- can I call you Keith? If you don't want to eat with me, just say so. I'm not gonna pressure you. I just wanted to talk to you about your piloting. It really is impressive, if a little rough." What he didn't add was that the roughness seemed almost intentional, in places, like Keith was pushing the craft just because he could. 

Silence stretched between them for a second, Keith's eyes- a strange, but strangely beautiful purple- unreadable as they studied him. Shiro almost held his breath, his wings twitching anxiously beneath his skin. Finally, Keith's mouth quirked in a tiny one sided smile, and Shiro felt his heart stutter. "The roof, huh? Thought that was against the rules, golden boy." 

"Technically." Shiro admitted, without a trace of shame. "But no one ever checks unless it's after curfew." 

"Alright then." Keith's smile grew slightly. "Lead the way."

The fact that they spent their entire lunch break in awkward silence as Shiro attempted to find out anything about the mysterious new pilot and Keith rebuffed his every question, comment, and remark with nothing more than a glare did nothing to dim Shiro's elation that he might have found an equal. If Keith wanted to make things difficult, well. He'd find that Shiro was more than up to the challenge. 

**********

"No way." Keith said flatly, a tiny smile twitching one corner of his mouth. "There is no way you pulled that off in a B class _shuttle_."

Shiro flashed a smirk. "I did, and I've got the flight logs to prove it." He said proudly. Keith's reaction was a common one- Shiro himself had hardly believed it when he'd first flown it. 

"And you did this in a real ship, not a simulator." Keith shook his head, smile growing. "You know, people call me crazy, but I think you might have me beat there." 

"I wouldn't be so sure. I've seen your simulator scores, remember? I don't think anyone's even tried half the crap you pulled." Shiro took a bite of his sandwich, the bread muffling the end of his sentence. 

"Yeah, but that's in the computer. They don't let first years in the _real_ stuff." Keith said, eyes flashing slightly in jealousy, or perhaps in longing.

"Perks of seniority. That, and most people in your year are still crashing _way_ too often for the instructors to let them have a crack at the planes or shuttles." Keith snorted, eyes rolling. "Not everyone can be you, Cadet 'I-broke-a-record-in-my-first-simulation' Kogane." Shiro teased. The other pilot just shrugged, a slight smirk curling his mouth. 

"What's the point if you aren't pushing the limits?" He countered, and Shiro grinned, glad that he'd managed to coax Keith out of the shell he'd been in when they first met on the roof, though the awkward silence at the beginning had made him worry. But now, on their fourth such meeting, Keith seemed to have decided that Shiro was at least a little trustworthy. At least, as long as they were talking about flying- and Shiro loved talking about flying, so he had no problem what so ever with spending his entire lunch break a few times a week on it. 

"Most people are happy to just complete something. You're the only one that seems determined to blow everything the Garrison thinks out of the water." Shiro pointed out with a smile. 

"Says the Garrison Golden Boy, who flies between two moving ships while upside down in a _shuttle_. In _atmosphere_." Keith shot back. Shiro ducked his head, smile turning bashful. Only the glint in his eyes gave him away.

"Well, I mean, it was theoretically within the limitations of the craft, so I thought why not try it?" He offered. Keith snorted. 

"You've got them all fooled, don't you?" He said dryly. "They all think you're this perfect pilot and model cadet- I've heard them talk about you, don't deny it- but you're just as much of an adrenaline junkie as any one else." 

_That_ was something that had taken some getting used to. Barely five minutes into their first conversation two weeks ago, and Shiro had learned that Keith was unfailingly blunt, surprisingly insightful, and didn't hold back any of it for fear of hurting feelings or ruffling feathers. Some would even call how he spoke rude, but Shiro just ducked his head and grinned. 

"You've got me." He held up his hands in surrender. Keith just smirked. "Takes one to know one, though." He added. Keith shrugged, smirk widening. 

"Remind me to tell you about my hover bike sometime." He said, not really confirming it, but definitely not denying. Internally elated- the implication that they'd talk again was heartening, since thus far Shiro had had to cajole Keith into each lunch- Shiro just kept grinning. 

"I'll hold you to that." He told Keith, who shrugged, before eyeing him appraisingly, his smirk disappearing. The mood darkened. 

"So, what do you want from me?" Keith asked abruptly. Shiro blinked. 

"Blunt." He observed aloud. Keith shrugged again. 

"People like you don't talk to people like me unless they want something." He said simply. "So, I'd rather get this out of the way." _Before I get too attached._ Seemed to be floating on the end of his sentence, but Shiro didn't say anything. 

The older pilot frowned, but decided to table the issue of 'people like him' for another time. He got the feeling Keith wouldn't appreciate him avoiding the question. 

"I can't just... want to talk to a promising pilot?" A snort was his only answer. "Ok, but seriously. That's basically what it is though." He leaned back with a sigh. "I'm a good pilot, a really good one. It means that a lot of people put me on a pedestal around here." Shiro said, voice calm and matter of fact. He wasn't trying to brag, after all. "It gets... Frustrating, I guess." He was being honest, more honest than usual, really. But Keith's face remained neutral, startling violet eyes focused on Shiro's face. "So, when I saw that you were breaking my records, I thought it was at least worth a shot."

"What, to find a copilot?" Keith asked, eyes narrowing. Shiro shook his head. 

"To find a friend." He corrected quietly. He smiled softly, wistful. "Matt's a great friend, but he's an engineer. He doesn't... get it, the way you do." 

Keith blinked, face slackening into something very much like shock, before returning to blankness. "A... friend?" He asked, like he was tasting the idea on his tongue. Shiro nodded. 

"A friend." He confirmed quietly. Keith's eyes narrowed again, before he looked away, staring out over the expanse of desert the Garrison overlooked. 

"Friends..." He murmured softly, and Shiro wondered what was going through his mind. "Alright." Shiro blinked. Keith had turned towards him, mouth in a firm line. "Alright." Keith repeated. "I'll try." 

Shiro tilted his head, frowning slightly at the oddity of that sentence, before what Keith meant registered. He broke into a grin. "Really? Great!" Keith snorted, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward, betraying his amusement. Shiro beamed at him. 

"I hope you realize this means now I'm going to drag you everywhere, not just the roof." He said. "You need to spend some time away from the simulators!" 

"Never mind, I take it back. We're never going to be friends." Keith's smile broadened as he said it though, and so Shiro just grinned. 

"Too late! I'm never letting go now!" 

If Shiro had known how much he would come to mean those words, he might have thought twice before saying them. But that was months away, and so for now, he just slung an arm around his new friend's shoulder, smiling when Keith didn't push him away. Oh, he knew very well that Keith was still wondering exactly what Shiro's motives were- one conversation didn't erase the kind of mistrust that Keith's earlier words implied- but now that he had Keith's permission to stay around him, Shiro was looking forward to proving him wrong. 

People could be just friends without wanting anything more from each other. (Later, Shiro would laugh at himself for how hypocritical he'd become.)

**********

In the months since that rooftop conversation, Shiro had learned a few things about Keith. The first of which was that no matter how close they became as friends, it was still futile to try and learn anything about the other boy. Keith was a mystery, and he liked it that way. Questions about his past got short, clipped answers, and when elaboration was requested, he was more likely to glare than actually say anything. Questions about himself received the same treatment. 

In fact, Shiro was almost positive that Keith would have never given him the time of day if it weren't for the fact that Shiro had offered to talk about the one thing Keith loved most in the world: flying. Keith loved to fly, and had racked up so many simulator hours that Shiro half wondered if he slept there. But even there, there was a certain distance Keith kept, because for all they talked about flying, first with the simulator, and then with hover bikes, Keith never, ever broached the topic of flying with their wings. It was downright contradictory, and concerning too. 

Shiro had never even seen Keith's wings. Not once. They'd been friends for months, and yet the other boy's wings were just as much a mystery as the rest of him. 

The rumors in the Garrison's hallways varied as to why Keith kept his wings hidden under his skin. Some said it was because they were embarrassing, small or patchy or a weird color. Some said it was because he was a loner, a freak who couldn't stand the idea of letting someone else see his wings. Only the cruelest rumors- the ones spoken only in whispers hidden behind hands hidden in the dark- dared to suggest that perhaps he did not show his wings because he did not have them. The very notion sent horror rolling down the listeners' spines.

To be wingless was the worst fate possible, one that exiled the unfortunate soul from being able to take part in any of the most common social rituals of human society, that made them outcasts in their own skin. To suggest someone was wingless- well, it wasn't done, not unless the accuser was looking to get their face beat in. Shiro himself had given more than one shamefaced younger cadet a deeply disappointed look for suggesting such things about any one of their fellow classmates. He couldn't believe that such a terrible fate had befallen brilliant, beautiful Keith.

And yet- Keith's wings had never been out, not once. No one had ever even seen him shirtless. He avoided it with the single mindedness he usually reserved for piloting, waiting to shower until everyone was gone, and even going to far as to swim or spar with a closely fitted T shirt or wife beater on. No one knew what he looked like at all, and Keith did not seem inclined to share. 

Which was a problem, because Shiro desperately, desperately wanted to know everyone about Keith. 

He even wore shirts without wing slits, which was just asking for him to tear them if he ever lost control and flared his wings. Not that he ever did. Keith's control was practically superhuman- not even Shiro, well known for being even tempered, could have resisted flaring in some of the situations Keith got into. But Keith's wings had still remained quiet and hidden, never emerging in excitement, anger, or fear, for all that the other cadet clearly felt them.

Shiro narrowed his eyes at Keith's back from across the cafeteria- he'd even stitched the slits shut on his Garrison issued uniform. He should be more careful than that; messing with the uniform could get cadets in serious trouble. 

The spaced out pilot was abruptly brought back down to the ground by the sound of a tray thumping loudly next to him. He jumped slightly, the mac and cheese that had been balanced precariously on his overloaded spoon falling back to the tray in front of him. 

"Earth to Shiro." Matt Holt drawled, amused as he pushed up his glasses. "Staring at your boy again?"

Shiro flushed. "Keith's not mine!" He protested weakly. 

"But you want him to be." Matt waved a hand dismissively. "So what was it this time? The fluorescent lights shining down on his lustrous hair? The unfashionable depths of his eyes? That ass?" He smirked in mock lasciviousness as he drawled the last word. 

Shiro flushed a darker red and swatted at Matt. "No! Oh my god, just shut up! What if someone heard you? What if he heard you?"

Matt snorted. "First, really? In this cacophony?" He gestured at the admittedly oppressively noisy room. "Second, I don't see how that's a bad thing, it might actually convince you to make a move and stop pining." 

Shiro glared at him. "I'm not pining." He disagreed. "I'm just looking out for an underclassman."

Matt outright laughed at that. "Pull the other one. I know what you look like when you're being hit upside the head with emotions, and you, my friend, are pining harder than a northern forest." 

Shiro made a face at the pun. "I'm really not, and besides, it would be inappropriate. I'm basically his mentor." 

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Shiro. As you seriously suggesting that you, or anyone, could make Keith do something he didn't want to?"

Shiro blinked before snorting himself. "No." He admitted with a small, fond smile. Keith was somewhat infamous for his contrariness when faced with an authority figure- especially one trying to make him do something. Keith's stare down earlier in the year with Iverson over some issue with the simulators had quickly reached legendary status among the cadets, and earned him a disciplinary mark on his record along with a month of scrubbing pans in the kitchens. But Keith hadn't backed down. If Iverson, of all people, couldn't cow Keith, Shiro most certainly couldn't. 

"Definitely not." Shiro added softly, smile widening. Matt groaned. 

"Oh great, now you're being sappy. Go do that somewhere else, away from my lunch before you make me barf it up." 

Shiro blushed and punched Matt in the arm. "Shut up." He muttered. 

"But seriously." Matt took a bite of the mac and cheese before continuing. "What had you out in space earlier?" Shiro glanced around for Keith, but the other cadet had vanished, probably escaping up to the roof as was his wont. Shiro would normally join him, but it was mac and cheese day, and even Shiro couldn't get away with sneaking out a full bowl of the dish. Sandwiches were far more easily squirreled away- though Shiro wished he could convince Keith a hot meal was worth staying in the cafeteria a little more often. Realizing he'd been caught up in his thoughts again, he returned his attention to his friend. 

"I was noticing that Keith had stitched shut the wing slits on his jacket." Shiro finally said. Matt whistled. 

"He better not let Iverson notice. He'd be scrubbing pots for weeks." Shiro nodded in agreement. 

"So I was just wondering why he'd do that- I mean, I know he doesn't like wing slits on his clothing, but I didn't realize he hated it enough to mess with the uniform." And risk getting in trouble, went unsaid as it was pointless. Keith had never really cared about such trivial things. 

Matt shrugged. "I dunno man. I keep telling you, I could just hack his file and find out." Shiro glared. 

"We are not invading his privacy like that!" He exclaimed, wings twitching wildly under his skin. "If Keith wants us to know, he'll tell us. If not, we'll just wait until he does." His voice was firm, almost hard. 

Matt shrugged again, his own coppery brown wings fluttering soothingly. "Relax, it's just an idea. No need to get so worked up." He suddenly grinned mischievously. "Though I'm sure Keith would be more than willing to help you... Relieve, some of that tension." 

And that was it for Shiro. His face flaming, his wings- enormous things in shades of dark, almost purplish gray- flared out, wrapping around himself and hiding his embarrassed form from view. 

"Don't say things like that!" He yelped, voice muffled by his arms. Matt just cackled, at least until Shiro swiped him off his seat with one powerful wing beat. Then, at least, he was too busy flailing to make fun of Shiro's definitely not a crush. 

**********

It wasn't a crush, Shiro told himself firmly. It was completely inappropriate for him to be having such thoughts about his underclassman (even if he was 18, only two years younger than Shiro). And as such, he was in no way admiring the way the tight fitting, sweat soaked T-shirt clung to Keith's well defined chest. Or the way Keith moved so gracefully across the mat as they circled each other. Or his eyes, narrowed and dark with concentration. Or- Shiro gasped and blinked as the world suddenly spun. His back collided with the floor and he stared up at the ceiling, slightly stupefied at the sudden change. Keith's face came into view as the younger man leaned over him, brows furrowed. 

"Are you ok?" The younger man asked, concerned. "You didn't even react when I flipped you. Are you getting sick or something?" He offered a hand, covered in a fingerless glove as it always was when they were working out. Shiro took the proffered limb and let Keith haul him upright, muscles cording in his forearm. 

"Fine." Shiro grimaced, abashed. "I'm fine, just... zoned out for a second there. What did you even do?" 

Relaxing now that Shiro has been confirmed to be fine, just a space case, Keith grinned sharply. "Tried that new judo flip you showed me. It was just supposed to be a feint, but then you didn't react, so..."

"So I went ass over teakettle straight into the ground." Shiro finished with a rueful smile. Keith snorted a laugh, eyes crinkling at the corners. He was beautiful, Shiro thought once again, eyes alight with mirth and laugh ringing through the empty training room. He was beautiful, and it wasn't a crush. 

It was something much, much worse. 

**********

"Ugh." Matt groaned as he flopped onto his bed. Shiro glanced up at his roommate from the textbook he was pouring over in preparation for the next day's test, and had to hold back a snicker. Matt's wings were a mess, the flights skewed and the rest of his feathers simply sticking out all over the place. 

"What happened to you?" Shiro asked, laughing slightly. Matt just groaned again, but didn't answer. Shiro chuckled as he set aside his textbook. "C'mere. There's no way you'll be able to sort out that mess by yourself." He gestured at his bed and Matt peeked up slightly. 

"You'll help? Thanks Shiro, you're a real pal!" Shiro rolled his eyes at Matt's insistence in using outdated slang terms, but just picked up the papers he'd been working on and set them on his desk. 

"Yeah, yeah, just get over here." Shiro snorted, pointing and the free space he'd cleared on his bed. Matt fairly bounced over and plopped down, disheveled wings flicking out and practically shoving themselves into Shiro's hands. Shiro chuckled, but dutifully started untangling and smoothing down Matt's brown and copper feathers. 

"Ok, but seriously. What happened?" Shiro asked. Most people at the Garrison kept their wings in as a matter of course- it just made things simpler. The simulator pods were the opposite of roomy, for one thing, and wings tended to take up lots of space. For Matt's wings to be in such a state, they would have to have been out for quite a while, and in a messy situation.

Matt groaned, shoulders and wings drooping. "I challenged Keith to a spar." He admitted sheepishly. Shiro's jaw dropped. Sure, everyone at the Garrison had to go through some level of combat training, but engineers like Matt generally weren't required to do more than the basics. 

"For the love of everything holy, _why_?" He demanded, hands carefully remaining gentle on Matt's twisted primaries. Matt flushed. 

"I... Maybe sort of kind of wanted to see if I could find out what was up with his wings for you so I suggested a spar and pretended to flare during it to see if he'd respond." He mumbled very quickly and quietly. Shiro suppressed a groan of his own. "But I startled him instead and he threw me across the room." Was added in an even quieter tone. 

Shiro didn't bother to hold back the noise of exasperation that time. " _Matt._ I told you, we need to wait until Keith feels ready to tell us." He scolded.

Matt's wings drew in and pressed tight to his back as he lowered his head. "I know, I know. It's just..." he twisted towards Shiro. "Don't you think it's awfully _strange_ , how much he hides his wings? He's the only cadet that no one knows _anything_ about, and the rumors are so contradictory that I'm pretty sure that people were drunk whenever they made them up!" 

Shiro frowned, and tugged gently in remonstration on the flight feather he was currently smoothing out. "Matt. I thought you knew better than to listen to rumors." He admonished, suddenly feeling much older than his twenty years. Matt nodded, shame faced. 

"I know... But I just, I just want to know!" He finally burst out. And now they got to the heart of the problem, Shiro thought wryly. He'd fished Matt- sometimes literally- out of more than one problem caused by his untamable curiosity, and it seemed Matt had finally reached the end of his restraint when it came to the mystery that was Keith. Why the other man had thought the best way to go about solving it was a _sparring match_ , Shiro wasn't sure he wanted to know. Keith was a challenge for Shiro on most days, and Shiro had actually gone through the full combat program as well as several years of martial arts. Matt had taken the minimum required six week course and then run the other way. Shiro had it on good authority that there had very nearly been screaming, too. 

"Nothing adds up about him! He acts like he's a second from flaring one second, and the next like he has no idea what that even means. He ignores people posturing, but reacts to even slight movements towards him, and god forbid anyone try to touch him with a wing." Shiro raised an eyebrow.

"That what happened to you?" He asked dryly. Matt huffed. 

"You try getting grabbed by your pinions and thrown like a shot put just for flaring close to someone!" He snapped. "Then we'll see who's laughing." Shiro winced. Just how badly had Matt startled Keith, that _that_ was his response? "It's just... He's so _weird_ and nothing makes sense! I'd almost say he was wing-" Matt started, looking ready to continue his rant and Shiro drew breath to shut him down (of all the places Matt could go, that was about the worst, and Shiro wanted to stop his friend before he said something he would regret), but a slightly choked cough interrupted him first. Shiro and Matt both whipped around at the sound, and Matt visibly flinched.

Keith stood in the doorway, face blank and shoulders tense, wings, as ever, absent. Shiro winced again. Matt paled. It didn't take much to figure out that Keith had overheard Matt, and even less to realize that Keith knew exactly what Matt's sentence was going to end with. And while Shiro knew that Matt, although thoughtless, would never try to hurt Keith by saying such a thing, Keith didn't. Shiro opened his mouth, but before he could try to diffuse the tension that had sprung up, Keith spoke. 

"I wanted to apologize for throwing you like that earlier. It was dangerous and I should have controlled my reactions better. I am glad you were not hurt by it." He said robotically, before turning and shutting the door. The two remaining both flinched at the click, and Matt turned to Shiro. 

"Go after him!" He hissed vehemently. Shiro frowned. 

"Me?"

"Yes, you!" Matt exploded. "He doesn't give a flying pig what anyone else here thinks of him, he won't care that I said something- though I will be apologizing to him later, talk about insensitive- he'll care that it looked like _you_ were gossiping about him!" 

Shiro blinked again, before processing exactly what the scene Keith had walked in on looked like, and paled himself. "You think he... cares what I think?" Matt snarled under his breath before raising his eyes to the heavens. 

" _Yes!_ You're practically the only one he does!" He shoved at Shiro. "So unless you want the man you're in love with to believe you think the worst of him, _go after him_." 

Shiro, caught off guard, blushed. "I'm not-" he began to protest. 

"Yes, yes you are." Matt snapped back. Shiro finally stood, blinking. He hadn't thought he'd been that obvious... Matt rolled his eyes. "Shiro, you're obvious to anyone that knows you, except for Keith and that's only because he's even more oblivious than you!" He shoved Shiro again, this time knocking him off the bed. Falling back on his butt with a grunt, Shiro glared at his friend before standing. 

"I'm going, you didn't need to shove me." He grumbled, brushing off his pants. Matt rolled his eyes again. 

"I'm just saying, you might want to go before your boy decides he'd rather just vanish?" Shiro winced. Keith had a talent for hiding. 

"Ok, point." He headed quickly for the door. "Finish your wings, don't just leave them like that." He ordered over his shoulder, well aware that Matt hated grooming, and would probably leave them like that until either Shiro got back, or one of his family members found him. 

"Yeah yeah. Just go already!" Matt flapped a hand, and Shiro gently closed the door behind him, immediately heading for the roof. While if Keith really wanted to hide, Shiro wouldn't have a chance in finding him, he hoped that Keith would choose comfort and familiarity over vanishing, at least for now. Taking the steps two at a time, he pushed open the roof door- it was unlocked. He glanced around, eyes quickly falling on the form that stood near the edge, head tilted back and looking at the slowly appearing stars. 

"Keith?" He asked softly, padding closer. The younger pilot was close enough to the edge that Shiro didn't want to risk startling him- not everyone could get their wings out in time to get out of a fall, and Keith's wings were out so rarely, if he ever let them out at all...

The smaller boy stiffened, but otherwise didn't move. Shiro's shoulders slumped, but he kept going. "I wanted to talk to you, about what just happened..." His voice trailed off, lilting upwards slightly. Keith still didn't look at him, but made a short, 'go-on' gesture. Shiro drooped, but kept going. 

"Matt was wrong to talk about you like that behind your back, but I was wrong for letting him. I promise, we don't talk about you like that, and we won't again. Your wings are your business, and you don't have to tell me, or Matt, anything." Shiro shuffled slightly, swallowing, before continuing on with the hardest part of his short speech. 

"I'm also sorry, because it was because of me that Matt decided he wanted to find out what your wings were like. But, we don't think you're wingless, or anything like that! Matt was especially wrong for even thinking that that was ok to say, and he said he'd apologize to you later." Keith still wasn't moving or saying anything. "I just... wanted you to know that I'm sorry." Shiro trailed off, mouth dry. If Keith didn't want anything to do with him after that... He couldn't blame the younger man, but he hoped not, hoped that his mistake hadn't cost him one of his most valued friendships. 

"I've heard worse." For a moment, Shiro didn't process that Keith had spoken. Then his jaw dropped, and he found himself getting angry on the smaller boy's behalf. 

"Worse than someone wondering if you were- you were _wingless_?" His voice dropped at the last word, almost whispering it. Accusing someone of being wingless was not only rude, it was practically taboo- being wingless was a fate worse than death for any human. For Keith to be _used to it_... 

"And I don't care about the rumors, either." Keith turned away. "Holt wasn't saying anything that everyone at the Garrison hasn't wondered at least once, anyway." He shrugged, and Shiro frowned. 

"Anyway. I'm happy for you and Holt. You'll be good together. Tell him if he ever hurts you, I'll do much worse than what I did today." Keith still wouldn't look at him, an unfamiliar edge in his voice. He turned to leave. Shiro blinked, startled out of his anger.

"What?" He choked out, mind whirling. Did Keith think-? Shiro snorted a laugh. He couldn't help it. Keith turned towards him, a scowl growing on his face as Shiro started to laugh. "Wait- you think Matt and I are dating?" 

"You were grooming him. On your bed!" Keith snapped back, a red tint growing high on his cheeks. 

"Because his feathers were a mess and he never fixes them by himself!" Shiro explained, still laughing. "There's nothing romantic between Matt and I at all." Shiro finally calmed down enough to state firmly to Keith. 

"Oh." The red on Keith's cheeks grew more prominent, and he looked away, an embarrassed scowl pulling down the corners of his mouth. Shiro smiled fondly at him. "So... Why do you want to know about my wings?" The question was quiet, but the eyes that pierced through him were nothing but strong and sure, as Keith turned back to him. 

Shiro swallowed, smile fading. What should he say? He couldn't lie- he was terrible at it and Keith knew all his tells, so all that lying would do was help break the trust that had already grown fragile between them. But the truth might drive Keith away. 

Keith's scowl deepened. "Whatever. You don't have to tell me." He grumbled. "Even if it does involve me." Was added more quietly, as his shoulders tensed and he started to walk away. Shiro panicked. 

"Because I want to know everything about you." He blurted out, and immediately winced. Great, Shirogane, just great. Could he sound _more_ like a stalker? Keith froze, before turning to pin Shiro with a fierce stare. 

"Why?" His voice was blank, his shoulders tense, and Shiro knew that one wrong word, and he'd lose Keith forever. 

"Because-" Shiro bit his lip, before thinking ' _fuck it_ ' and letting his wings do what he'd been aching to do for months. "Because of this." He said quietly, as his wings flared wide, arching in a display meant to make them look captivating and beautiful. In other words, a display meant for a potential mate. "I've wanted to fly with you for months, Keith." He admitted, in almost a whisper, but he kept his eyes locked on gorgeous purple-blue and didn't waver. There was nothing he had ever been more certain of than this, and he hoped his sincerity rang true. 

Keith's eyes were wide and the muscles of his jaw slightly slack, enough so that Shiro could _hear_ the click of teeth as Keith forced his mouth to remain shut. Shiro knew he was being insanely forward- asking to fly together was a declaration of love, one step short of a proposal to some, and Keith had had no inkling of his feelings until today. Keith stared at his wings for a long moment, before dropping his gaze to his feet. 

"I'm sorry, Shiro." His voice was empty- the sort of emptiness that came from desolation. "I can't give you what you want. I can't fly with you." He took a step back, then another, before turning and almost running to the door. It slammed shut behind him, the noise echoing over the rooftop. 

Shiro's wings shuddered and crumbled, drooping listlessly behind him as he stared at where Keith had been. Numbly, he drew his wings back under his skin, grimacing at how uneasily they settled there. As he slowly trudged towards the door, planning to return to his room and bury himself in his bed- knowing already that Keith would be long gone, where no one could find him- he wondered to himself. 

As Keith had left, why had he been crying?

**********

Keith angrily dashed fresh tears from his eyes as he turned the corner and skidded across the slick linoleum. But no matter how hard he blinked or rubbed his eyes, they just kept coming. It was ironic, he thought furiously to himself. For most people, seeing a wing display from their crush would be cause for celebration, not tears. 

Keith wasn't most people. As evidenced by his flight across the Garrison, striving to out as much distance between Shiro and himself as he could. He couldn't risk the older boy finding him, not now. Not when Shiro would want to know why he was crying, and Keith would be weak enough to tell him- tell him everything. And that was something that could not happen- not ever. 

Not if Keith wanted Shiro to ever look at him again. 

Keith was tough, had been raised and then raised himself to be strong. But hearing the man he was in love with call him a freak- that would be enough to break him, shatter him into pieces so small they could never reassemble. 

His feet pounded along the ground in time with his racing heartbeat, and he slid through another corner without loosing speed. He had to get out, he had to get away. The halls around him felt like they were closing in, like they were suffocating him. His throat tight with tears and unacknowledged panic, Keith forced himself to keep running. At this point, he didn't even care that he'd be caught out of bed after curfew- he just wanted out. He reached the enormous garage where the Garrison kept their land based vehicles. It was the work of a moment to hack into one of the hoverbikes and start the engine. He sped out of the garage, sticking to the cameras' blind spots with the ease of practice. 

As the bike raced over the sand, Keith wondered to himself. 

How long would it take for this to blow up in his face? 

As it turned out, about a week. He'd been avoiding the areas he knew Shiro to frequent, including the roof and the cafeteria, instead choosing to sneak into the kitchens whenever he got hungry, and sticking to his dorm or class rooms the rest of the time. He'd only seen Shiro once, on the second day as he left the simulator room, and the sadness in his eyes had nearly been enough to break Keith anyway, but he steeled himself and stayed away. His skin itched from how little time he'd been spending in the simulator, fingers aching with the need to take control of a space craft and _fly_ , but he couldn't risk running into Shiro. Not now, not when things were still so fresh. 

He'd been so busy avoiding Shiro, Keith thought to himself irritatedly, that he completely neglected to realize that there was someone else he should be keeping an eye out for too. And now, cornered in a classroom with the only exit blocked by a glaring mass of bronze feathers, he was really regretting that lapse. 

"You want to tell me why Shiro's been moping around for the last week and won't tell me why?" Matt Holt demanded. Keith's shoulders tensed at the confrontational tone, and he had to resist baring his teeth. 

"I don't see why it's your business." He shot back. 

"When my best friend is suddenly upset after talking to you, and _you_ completely vanish for a week, making him sadder, it becomes my business!" The engineer snapped back, wings rustling angrily as they spread wider, the older of the two subconsciously trying to make himself seem bigger and more threatening. Keith did bare his teeth at that, the almost subvocal growl rumbling in his throat making Holt twitch. Keith knew others found it unsettling, but right now, he didn't care. 

"It's not your concern." He repeated. "It's just better if I stay away from Shiro right now." His voice raised until he was almost yelling the last bit, his control slipping as he reacted to the challenge Holt was confronting him with. 

"You're hurting him! How is that better for him?" Matt yelled back, and if things weren't so tense Keith would have found humor in the friendly, even tempered genius loosing his cool so spectacularly. As things were though, he didn't find this funny at all. 

"I know." He said quietly. "But I don't know what else to do, and I-" he choked slightly. "I can't give him what he wants." 

"Wait, so he confessed and you're being a jerk about it?" Matt demanded, glare intensifying. "The hell man? If Shiro liking other guys is such a big deal, then-" 

"It's not that!" Keith interrupted sharply. "I just... can't give him what he wants."

"Even though you're in love with Shiro?" The look in Matt's eyes as he asked was shrewd and knowing. 

The resulting flinch ran through Keith's entire body. "How do you know that?" He asked hoarsely. 

"It's pretty obvious, the way you look at him." Matt said simply, clearly still upset but willing to talk instead of yell now. Keith's sensitive ears thanked the heavens for that. 

"So-" Matt started to say, before the door opening and sending him stumbling interrupted. Together, he and Keith turned to look. Keith blanched. At the door, Shiro blinked. As one, both Keith and Matt froze. 

"Anyway, I'm sorry about the sparring match thing the other day and speculating about your wings, dick move on my part. Gotta go now!" Matt babbled as he dashed away with a surprising amount of speed, shoulder knocking into Shiro's as he went. The door shut behind him with a surprisingly quiet click, and then there was silence. 

"Keith?" Shiro's voice was quiet as he took a step forward. Keith glanced at him before looking back away. Shiro looked tired, was his first thought. And there was something sad in the set of his eyes and mouth. 

He couldn't bring himself to speak. If he opened his mouth now, with Shiro's eyes, sad and yet still so open and kind, so _loving_ , everything would come spilling out. Every sordid detail, and Keith didn't want to watch Shiro's soft eyes turn hard with disgust. 

He couldn't bear it. 

"Keith, are you alright?" 

No, no Keith wasn't. He wasn't alright at all. 

**********

Shiro sighed as he wandered through the hallways as had become his habit this past week. He glance around, but the halls were empty, with no sign of the person he wanted to find. Keith had practically vanished after their disastrous rooftop conversation, and aside from one late night glimpse in the simulator room- Keith's face had been pale and drawn, some part of Shiro's brain recalled with concern- he hadn't seen the other boy at all. Not even in the cafeteria, and Shiro was becoming extremely worried for Keith's health. 

The rest of him just ached for the friendship he'd ruined with his confession. 

Shiro turned the corner, not expecting to see anyone as classes were all out for the day, and frowned as he heard raised voices. He hurried towards the sound, not wanting a fight to break out. The voices were emanating from behind a closed classroom door when he distinctly heard Keith's voice yell, "-I stay away from Shiro right now."

Matt yelled something back, voice muffled by the door. Their voices got quieter, before Matt's voice abruptly rang out clearly again. "Even though you're in love with Shiro?" 

Shiro froze. And Keith... Keith didn't deny it. At all. "How do you know that?" He demanded. 

"It's pretty obvious, the way you look at him." Matt's voice was almost gentle, now, and Shiro couldn't take this anymore. Without consciously deciding it, his hand was on the handle and he pushed open the door. He blinked. He had to, to make himself sure that Keith was really there, there and not denying being in love with Shiro. As he did, Matt sprung into action, babbling something Shiro didn't really hear. He would have ignored Matt entirely, in fact, if Matt hadn't bumped into him on the way out. He barely heard the door shut behind his friend. All of his attention was on Keith, who's face was ghostly pale under the classroom's fluorescent lights. 

"Keith?" He asked in concern, taking a step forward. Keith didn't respond, eyes slightly glazed as he looked off into the distance. "Keith, are you alright?" 

It seemed to take forever for Keith to focus on him. Shiro swallowed as Keith's weighted gaze fell on him. He should be taking Keith to the infirmary, or his room to get some sleep- the bags heavy beneath his eyes spoke of very little sleep over the last week- but almost without his consent, his mouth opened and the fateful question spilled out. 

"You're in love with me?" Keith flinched, but nodded slowly. 

Shiro swallowed again, throat tight. A million questions flooded through his mind. "Then, why-" He didn't managed to get the question all the way out, the words sticking in his throat. ' _Why did you run? Why did you avoid me? Why do you look like you'd rather be anywhere but here?_ ' 

"Because I can't give you what you want." Keith finally spoke, his voice rough with something Shiro couldn't name. 

Shiro shook his head sharply, anger growing deep in the pit of his stomach. "What does that even mean!" He demanded. "If you don't want to be with me, just say so!" 

Keith looked away. "I... can't. I can't lie to you that way." He said quietly. 

"Then what is it?" Shiro pressed. 

Keith swallowed harshly before looking back at him. His voice was almost a whisper. "You want to fly. I can't give that to you." Shiro frowned. 

"You said that before too. What do you mean by that?" He tilted his head. "If you don't like wing flight, we don't have to." Keith shook his head quickly. 

"It's not that." He said quietly. He bit his lip, before seeming to come to some internal decision. "It's because of this." He turned until his back was facing Shiro, and Shiro blinked. He wasn't quite sure what Keith was doing, most didn't show their wings from the back. With one swift motion, Keith yanked his shirt off, leaving his torso bare. Shiro's brain stalled. Keith's back was slim and muscled, and his eyes wandered up it, looking for what Keith was trying to show him. Then he froze. Keith's back was smooth, the skin unbroken. Shiro's eyes searched frantically for the wing mounts and slits that must be present- that were present even on those unfortunate to lose their wings. 

He could not find them. "Keith?" His voice was choked with something he couldn't name, some combination of horror and worry and fear for the boy in front of him. His back... Shiro prayed the conclusion his mind leapt to would be wrong. The sickening twist in his gut said otherwise. 

"I'm wingless, Shiro." Keith said quietly. "I've never had them." The words rang like a death knell between them, and Shiro felt something deep inside him shudder. 

"I can't fly. Not with you- not with anyone. Even if I want to." The words would be desolate if his voice wasn't so empty. In one quick motion, Keith pulled his shirt- one without wing slits, as always, some part of Shiro noted- back on, and stepped over to the door. "I'm sorry." He said softly as he slipped out, the door shutting behind him. Shiro watched him go, opened his mouth to call out to him, but then closed it without a sound. He didn't know what to say, what to do. All he knew was how wrong it felt, to have Keith walk away from him. 

The next day, Keith was nowhere in sight, but somehow, Shiro swore he could feel Keith's eyes in him. Wondering if Shiro would spill his secret? Watching to see if Shiro wouldn't care for him anymore? (It was a sad but inescapable fact of life that many people shunned the wingless- something about the lack of wings was so wrong to their instincts that many couldn't bear being around one. It wasn't right, but they still did it.) Shiro knew he would never betray Keith's trust in such a way, but he couldn't blame Keith for his caution. 

Keith had probably lost more than one person because of his condition. 

Shiro didn't care that Keith had no wings- he was still _Keith_ , still the beautiful, amazing boy that Shiro had fallen in love with. Still the best pilot in the Garrison. But Keith didn't know that, and Shiro wasn't sure how to show him. 

Keith had said he couldn't fly, Shiro recalled. That he couldn't fly with _Shiro_. But that was all wrong, Keith may not have wings, but he could still fly, could fly better than anyone Shiro had seen. 

As the thought flew threw his head, the beginnings of a plan crystallized in his mind. Keith didn't have wings? Fine. There were other ways to fly together. Shiro would just have to show Keith he didn't care about Keith's wingless status. 

He left the room, a determined gate to his step. This was going to take some very careful maneuvering to pull off along with some help from Matt, and if he got caught he would be in so much trouble, but it was worth it. 

_Keith_ was worth it. 

**********

Keith eyed the note he'd found slipped under his door with confusion. After the last time they'd talked, he thought that Shiro would have shunned him. Well, perhaps he had- Keith wasn't sure, he'd been rather busy avoiding Shiro himself. 

The note was simple, just a short request in Shiro's scrawling hand requesting that Keith meet him outside the garage tonight after curfew. Keith felt his mouth twitch up- the Garrison Golden Boy breaking the rules? The horror- but he sobered as he realized he'd turned to tease Shiro with those very words, only for his eyes to meet empty air. There was a twinge low in his stomach at the lack, and he frowned at himself. Since when had he grown so used to having a person around, that it became jarring for Shiro to be gone?

He looked back down at the note. A large part of him wanted to ignore the note- a clean break would make things easier on both of them in the long run, but he couldn't deny the hope the note had sown. No one ever wanted to talk to him again once they found out he was wingless- had been _born_ without wings, no less. The fact that Shiro was asking for a meeting, even after how Keith had walked out on him- walked out on him _twice_ , in fact, was... heartening. He knew there was no way Shiro would still want to date him, _court_ him (and oh, how Keith's stomach had swooped and leaped when Shiro's wings had spread wide), but maybe, just maybe, they could still be friends?

He forced away the voice in the back of his head suggesting Shiro might just want to express his disgust and desire to cut ties in person. Shiro wouldn't do that to him- he wasn't that cruel. But still, the very thought was enough to make him waver. Could he really handle it if Shiro was like all the rest? The shudder that ran down his spine said he could not. 

Keith looked at the note again. Four hours until curfew, plenty of time for him to decide. (Or agonize over what to do, but he ignored that thought.)

The hours ticked by without him noticing, too caught up in his thoughts. It wasn't until the announcement went out over the Garrison loudspeakers that curfew began in five minutes, that he jolted out of his stupor. Mind flying, it was almost on autopilot that he got up and dressed in civilian clothing, pulling on his gloves as he walked to the door. Hand on the doorknob, Keith paused, mind suddenly racing. Did he really want to go through with this?

To his surprise, he found that he really did. Maybe it was because he wanted to see Shiro again, no matter the outcome of this rendezvous. Maybe it was that he couldn't bear to disappoint Shiro, not again. 

Maybe it was because deep in his heart, a quiet seed of hope, almost completely ignored, was growing. 

Whatever the case may have been, he soon found himself flying through the corridors, racing to make it to the garage at the time Shiro had specified. He skidded to a halt in front of the large door, glancing around. He spotted Shiro, leaning against the door on one side, and approached. 

The smile Shiro gave him when he saw Keith had come was almost blinding. 

"Keith. I'm so glad you decided to come." He breathed. Keith couldn't speak for a second. Shiro shifted, looking uncertain. 

**********

Shiro fidgeted nervously in the shadows of the garage door. It was already five minutes after curfew had been called, and Keith wasn't there. Had the younger cadet decided not to come? Shiro almost started pacing, but restrained himself. He didn't want to attract any attention, and pacing was far too easy to spot. 

He was about to give up hope when he heard a faint scuff of a shoe against the tile. He looked up, an excuse already prepared if the footfalls weren't Keith, but it died unneeded as Keith slid around the corner, coming to a halt in front of the large door. He looked around, clearly searching for Shiro, and Shiro pushed away from the door, the motion instantly catching Keith's eye. The smaller man approached quietly, now that he was no longer rushing. Shiro couldn't have stopped the smile that lit up his face if he'd tried. 

"Keith. I'm so glad you decided to come." Shiro admitted softly. He'd truly been worried that Keith would decide not to come, and seeing him there lifted Shiro's spirits and gave him hope that perhaps this would all work out alright. For a long moment, Keith was silent, and Shiro couldn't stop the nervous shift of his weight. 

"Why did you ask me to come here?" Keith finally asked, cutting straight to the heart as was his wont. Shiro's smile widened. 

"Come with me." He pushed on the door to the garage, the metal sliding open soundlessly. He sent a quick mental thank you to Matt, who'd helped him set all this up. The engineer had been a little _too_ gleeful at getting to hack into the Garrison's security, but Shiro was determinedly not thinking about that right now. Right now, this was about Keith and himself. 

Keith followed him, an inquisitive frown wrinkling his brow, but he stayed quiet as he padded across the concrete floor. Shiro led the way to the area he and Matt had arranged to set up, walking around a large Jeep that was positioned to hide it. He could tell the instant Keith saw what they'd done, drawing in a sharp breath that echoed in the large space. Shiro stepped to the side to allow Keith to stand next to him, smile growing shy. 

"I know you said you couldn't fly, but uh... I guess I just wanted to show you there's more to you than your wings, and more ways to fly together. And I'd really, really love to fly with you Keith." He felt his face growing warm as he ducked his head, trailing off. His heart in his throat, he waited for the unnervingly silent man next to him to speak. 

**********

Keith stared at the pair of gleaming hoverbikes painted in black and red waiting for them. He opened his mouth, to try to speak, but the words caught in his throat. He blinked, as if expecting the machines to vanish, for Shiro to declare this all a mistake. 

Neither happened. He dared to glance over at Shiro, and found the other man looking down at the ground, face red. 

_'I'd really, really love to fly with you.'_ Shiro's voice echoed through his head, and try though he might, Keith could detect no trace of falsehood in them. His eyes darted between the bikes and Shiro, looking for the trap, the joke, the cruelty of a hope played false- and he did not find it. 

At his side, Shiro shifted. "Keith?" His voice was so quiet, so concerned, and Keith blinked against the wetness trying to well up. 

"Are... are you sure?" Keith finally asked, voice hoarse. "I'm never going to be an,e to fly with you." 

Shiro gestured at the hoverbikes. "What are you talking about? Of course we can fly." He smiled. "Keith... You've never needed wings to take my breath away." Shiro took a step towards the bikes, holding out his hand. His voice took on a formal cadence. "Keith Kogane, will you fly with me?" Keith could see the wings twitching beneath Shiro's skin, clearly wishing to flare and _show_ what Shiro was saying, but after a moment they stilled. Keith looked back up at Shiro's face, taking in the wide, hopeful smile. 

A thousand reasons this was going to end so, _so_ badly flitted through his mind, but Keith found himself ignoring them. He ached to take Shiro's hand, pull him out into the desert and show him what a good hoverbike could really _do_. The last thing he remembered wanting so badly was becoming a pilot in the first place. 

His fingers trembled slightly with how much he wanted it. 

"Keith?" Shiro's voice was fragile, and Keith realized how it must have looked, him standing frozen, locked in thought for minutes on end. He had to give Shiro an answer, and rather than waste breath in words when actions spoke so much louder, he took a step forward, and then another, until he was in range. He grabbed onto Shiro's hand with a grip tight enough to turn his knuckles white, and with a sudden, joyful smile growing on his face, he pulled the other man with him until they were at the hoverbikes. Only then did he speak. 

"Yes, Takashi. I will fly with you." The words were formal and sure, despite the fact that he'd never even thought of them before. He heard Shiro's breath catch at the use of his first name, and then Shiro was beaming and grabbing Keith in a tight hug. It knocked the breath out of Keith, but before he could recover Shiro was already letting him go as he hurried to the bikes- Keith smiled as he saw that Shiro was taking the black one, leaving the red for him. He'd only mentioned his preference for red once, and yet Shiro had remembered. 

"Then come on, let's fly!" Shiro- no, Takashi, he was Takashi now- urged, and with a jump, Keith was astride the beautiful bike. The two engines started in sync, and they shot out of the garage at high speed, Keith grinning as they went. Looking over at Takashi revealed a similar expression, and Keith laughed, before shifting gears and letting his bike lunge across the empty sand, Takashi following in his wake. They wove in and out, dodging cacti, sand dunes, and each other with easy, the trails left by the bike's back wash telling a story of two flying as one. 

Racing across the desert, the man he loved with matching every swerve, jump, and loop, Keith couldn't stop smiling. He felt like he was soaring, and his smile softened, becoming fond and loving as he fully realized what Takashi had been trying to show him. 

It had never been about wings or their lack. Such things weren't important; if the person truly meant enough to you, then flying was no obstacle at all. Keith felt his heart swell, his movements becoming less aggressive. The moon was full over head, and he was flying a courtship with the only person to ever make his heart leap. Life was good. He let himself slow slightly, taking in the moment, and he saw Takashi do the same. They shared a glance and Keith saw Takashi smile. He smiled back, and then Shiro's grin turned mischievous. The engine roared as he gunned it, racing ahead of Keith, whopping as he went. 

Keith felt his smile shift, becoming a feral grin. Time to show Takashi what he could _really_ do. 

He'd never needed wings to be a pilot, and he wasn't going to let Takashi get away with thinking he'd won so easily, courting or not. 

The engines howled through the night, entwined with the sound of two lovers' laughter, and all was right with the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Wings:  
> Shiro: black crowned night heron  
> Matt: black chinned hummingbird  
> Keith: none


End file.
